What Nintendo S E3 2015 Digital Event Taught Us

Nintendo, while not giving a traditional E3 press conference like the other big players, still had a special E3 digital event, showcasing games that are coming out either this year, or early next year. The Nintendo Direct had the kind of top-notch style and production values we’ve come to expect from Nintendo as of late, featuring Nintendo’s executives transformed into Muppets for its opening sequence. However, in terms of wow-factor and actual substance, it came up short, not really revealing much we didn’t already know, and when it did, being relatively lackluster. As expected, we were given a solid release date for titles such as Star Fox Zero, Fire Emblem IF and Yoshi’s Wooly World, a new Paper Mario title was announced, and a 3DS port of Hyrule Warriors was revealed. Of the stuff that was completely unexpected, that is Metroid Prime: Federation Force and The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes, well, what can we say? Two multiplayer focused entries in franchises that are known for their sprawling singleplayer experiences doesn’t exactly excite their fanbases – particularly Metroid fans who have patiently been awaiting a new adventure for Samus since Other M. In fact, I would actually say the most interesting bit of the entire event was watching Shigeru Miyamoto de-construct the infamous 1-1 level of Super Mario Bros., revealing the kind of legendary game design that propelled the franchise into the billion-dollar hit it is today. Here’s the full list of important announcements:

Metroid Prime: Federation Force Brings 4-Player Co-op to 3DS Star Fox Wii U is Coming This Year Hyrule Warriors: Legends Brings New Characters To 3DS Team Up With Friends in The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes Mario And Paper Mario Team Up In Paper Jam Fire Emblem If Renamed, Coming West in 2016